Orange Crush

Source: harbourliving.ca via Amanda on Pinterest

Cranbrook teachers greet the Premier on her stop in the Kootenays.

Cranbrook teachers greet the Premier on her stop in the Kootenays.

24 Hour News: Front Page Story... Advertisement...

The Tyee.ca blog - The Election Hook
Natascia Lipny
May 1, 2013

The cover of today's 24 Hours Vancouver is a paid advertisement by the BC Liberals -- an editorial decision that has some readers upset over a perceived lack of clarity that the ad is indeed an ad.

The front page features a large photograph of the premier emblazoned with the headline "Poll: Christy Clark stands tall in debate." followed by "Comeback Kid." Beneath it, a caption and Ipsos Reid poll results mimic 24 Hours' layout style.

The advertisement continues on page two, followed by the paper's actual front page.

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I showed my class this front page as part of our studies and participation with Student Vote. I presented it unbiased as an educator, and asked what they noticed about the front page. Then once they discovered the "paid advertisement" and I revealed the other front page (the real one, about the Canucks game) we discussed the pros and cons of doing a full page, front page, advertisement like that.

Among their comments:

-clever way to get people thinking about her before the vote
-makes people think she is the better candidate after the debate

-costs a lot of money, who pays for it?
-people may not trust Christy Clark because she tried to trick people

Smart kids eh?

Vancouver Sun: Support for Public Education, but higher taxes?

This post was interesting to me. I agree if government was more fiscally responsible there could be more done with less, however, to make any real changes, there needs to be more money.... higher taxes is the way to achieve that, but not all are willing to fork over more gmoney, and especially not to a government who mismanages it.

I wish they would explore the corporate taxes further before hiking taxes for the public. I am not opposed to a tax increase if it would help with public services, however, I feel the corporations are let off easy when it comes to taxes and I really think there is something to explore there that could improve public services such as education - for all.

British Columbians indicated strong support in a recent poll for increased spending on public education, but they were sharply divided when asked if they were willing to pay more taxes to accomplish that. In the poll, commissioned by the B.C. Teachers’ Federation, 43.6 per cent of respondents said they would accept a small tax hike to improve education and hire more teachers, but 41.8 per cent said they do not want to pay more. The remainder were uncertain. Leslie Turnbull, a partner with Viewpoints Research of Winnipeg, the firm that conducted the poll, said it’s not uncommon for Canadians to indicate a preference for more government spending but also an unwillingness to cover those costs through taxation. “Most people feel that if government streamlined its spending, better managed it and focused on the key things that are important … then the public could get the services it needs,” she said in an interview. “That’s probably not realistic.” Nevertheless, BCTF president Susan Lambert said she was heartened by the results because they contradict suggestions from the Fraser Institute, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) and the Liberal government that there’s no appetite for a tax lift. “What this is saying to us is that parents and the public are open to a conversation around tax increases, especially if it goes to priorities that they’ve identified … (such as) public education.”

Read More here

Better Schools in B.C.

This is an excellent read:

British Columbians should be very proud of our public education system. Teachers and other educators work hard to help B.C.’s children gain the skills, knowledge, and confidence to take on the world. Today’s students will be tomorrow’s teachers, doctors, engineers, and loggers. They deserve a government that will invest in their education to ensure B.C.’s social fabric and economy stay strong. Sadly, over the last decade, chronic underfunding has weakened our public education system. In addition, the illegal removal from teachers’ collective agreements of provisions on class size, class composition, and minimum staffing ratios for specialist teachers meant real cuts for students. As a result, B.C. is now behind the rest of Canada on many key indicators. According to Statistics Canada, B.C. provides $988 less per student per year than the Canadian average. Our province also has the worst student-educator ratio of all 10 provinces. In short, our students are being shortchanged. This underfunding has meant real cuts in classrooms across the province. There are now more than 15,000 overcrowded classes. B.C. has lost more than 1,500 specialist teachers which include counsellors, teacher-librarians, learning assistance teachers, and English language learning (formerly ESL) positions. This total includes more than 700 special education teachers at a time when the number of students with special needs is increasing. The cuts mean each child, regardless of their learning needs, is getting less one-on-one time. And, the children who need extra support are not getting it. It’s time for change. B.C. needs a government, regardless of which party wins, that will reinvest in education. That’s why B.C. teachers developed a platform called Better Schools for B.C. and shared it with all political parties. It is a positive vision for education that provides better supports for our kids. It builds on our public education system’s strengths and makes kids and classrooms the priority. We know it will require significant new funding, but we also know from public opinion research that the public overwhelmingly supports putting more resources in schools to help children learn.

read more here

Hey, It's me... but out of context... kind of...

The Province has an article, 'How do we fix public education? The dysfunctional relationship between teachers and the government has people fleeing the public school system for the independent alternative' in which a quote I gave them (for a quite unrelated story) is used....

PARENTS' AND TEACHERS' CONCERNS New Westminster parent Janet Reid has watched her son and daughter go through B.C.'s public system and has been impressed with innovative programs under the B.C. Education Plan and ACE-IT trades training. With a change in government, she said, "(she's) afraid that we will at least be back to Square 1 while they get up to speed," said Reid. Teachers, too, are nervous, for other reasons. "I feel we have tried and tried again with the Liberals and I haven't seen a lot of positive outcomes," said Coquitlam teacher Amanda Long. "I think it's time for a fresh start." Long said she's seen the effect of larger classes and fewer supports. Her daughter lost learning support between Grades 2 and 3. According to the government, classes with over 30 students have fallen from over 9,200 in 2005-06 to 1,360 in 2012-13; per student funding is up from $6,262 per student in 2000-01 to $8,493 in 2012-13. The teachers' union counters funding has fallen as a percentage of provincial GDP - 19.6 per cent in 200102 to 15 per cent in 2011-12, representing a $1.6-billion shortfall. It stresses that 12,650 classes have over four designated special-needs students and 10,300 have over four ESL students. Debate over statistics, and what they mean, is a familiar feature of the entrenched opposition between the teachers and B.C. Liberals.

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/business/public+education/8286887/story.html#ixzz2RjeytK2j

Time for a Change...

http://act.bcfed.ca/8-reasons-to-vote-for-change/ lists 8 BIG reasons to Boot the Liberals. After 12 years, I agree, it is time for a change!

NDP Platform promises improvements to public education....

I am not so foolish to believe any politician, but I do know what the Liberals have done over the past 12 years has NOT worked. I am ready for a change and hope the NDP can provide what they've promised....

The NDP released their platform finally today.

BCNDP 13/04/18 Election Platform: Improving Public Education by Langley Teachers' Association

B.C. Students are waiting....